Cultivator shield



Jan. 6, 1953 c. A. WARNKE 2,624,260

CULTIVATOR SHIELD Filed Sept. 20. 1949 INVENTOR. ['lemenes A Warn/(e A TTOR NE Y Patented Jan. 6, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CULTIVATOR SHIELD Clemenes A. Warnke, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application September 20, 1949, Serial No. 116,689

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a cultivator shield, or fender.

An object of the invention is to construct a cultivator shield that will pass over the ground easily and without digging into the soil or otherwise retarding the movement of the cultivator, and which at the same time will prevent clods of earth from being piled up or thrown against the plants, while allowing finely divided earth to pass through the shield.

This and other objects of my invention are obtained by the means more fully described with reference to the drawing, in which.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the cultivator shield showing its position while in use;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the shield; and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line 3-3, Figure 1.

The shield is composed of a supporting member Ill from which depend a plurality of rods [2. Member is constructed of an angle iron [4 having a horizontal flange l6 and a vertical flange [8, the latter having a plurality of holes 2 0. A second angle iron 22 has its horizontal flange 24 secured to the under side of flange [6 by bolts 26. Vertical flange 28 has a plurality of holes 30, each of which is axially aligned with one of the holes in flange 18. Member ID is secured to the cultivator frame by a strut 32 fastened to member Ill. The two angles in effect make a channel.

Each rod I2, at its upper end, is bent at a right angle to form a horizontal portion 36 having a length slightly greater than the distance between the outside faces of flanges l8 and 28, the free end of the rod then being further bent into a short vertical portion 38. Portion 36 extends through a pair of holes 20 and 30, the vertical portions I2 and 38 acting as stops to prevent the rod from slipping out of the assembly. Flange I8 extends parallel to rod [2 for a substantial distance, and forms a wall for steadying rod I2 to hold the rod in a vertical plane. Thus, although there is a slightly permissible lateral displacement because of the length of portion 36, any great degree of inward bending of rod l2 from a vertical plane will be restrained by flange l8.

In operation, the rods l2 dangle freely from support ill, the rods hanging vertically and being rotatable 0n the axis formed by portion 36. As

the cultivator is moved forwardly, as indicated by the arrow, Figure 1, the lower ends of the rods will drag over the surface of the ground, causing the rods to become inclined. This inclination will vary in accordance with the irregularity of the ground, but at all times the rods form a screen between the turned up soil and the plant rows. Clods of earth cannot pass through the spaces between the relatively closely spaced rods, whereas fine dirt is permitted to sift through. As the rods swing freely on their support, and as the lower ends of the rods have but little frictional contact with the surface of the ground, little resistance is added to the forward movement of the cultivator. The shield although of relatively light weight, and of simple construction, is strong and durable, and easily maintained.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained.

I claim:

A cultivator shield having a supporting member adapted to be attached to a cultivator frame, and a plurality of fender rods depending therefrom, said supporting member comprising a first angle iron having a first horizontal flange and a first vertical flange, and a second smaller angle iron having a second horizontal flange secured to said first horizontal flange, and a second vertical flange depending therefrom, said second horizontal flange being removably bolted to the underside of said first horizontal flange, and forming with said first angle iron a substantially channel shaped member, a plurality of pairs of aligned apertures in said first and second vertical flanges, said plurality of rods each having a horizontal portion extending through a pair of apertures, respectively, and having a vertical shield forming portion contacting a substantial distance with said first flange which forms a steadying surface for said rods, and a second vertical portion substantially parallel to said second vertical flange, each of said rods being movable independently of the other rods.

CLEMEN ES A. WARNKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 90,376 Moore May 25, 1869 322,524 Cramer July 21, 1885 546,675 Nuckolls Sept. 24, 1895 1,506,496 Matthews Aug. 26, 1924 

